Nico and Sherlyn Sanchez were among about a dozen people granted Australian citizenship in Broken Hill on Friday after the couple moved directly from the Philippines to the regional city about five years ago.
The transition to outback living was a major adjustment for Mr and Ms Sanchez, who were initially struck by Broken Hill's lack of services.
The Sanchez family soon got used to slower living and the country way of life, Collin Sanchez said. (Stuart Walmsley/AAP PHOTOS)
But the Sanchez family soon got used to slower living and the country way of life, Mr Sanchez said.
"I love the people because they are genuine," he told AAP.
"It's a big milestone for both of us to be an Australian and it's our privilege ... (and our responsibility) to prove that we are good citizens."
The Broken Hill Pub was among local venues hosting Australia Day-themed festivities including thong throwing and a lamington-eating contest but the mood was sombre in other parts of the community as people marked Invasion Day.
Aunty Sandra Clark said local Aboriginal people want to celebrate Australia Day, not on January 26. (Stuart Walmsley/AAP PHOTOS)
Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Price briefly attended Broken Hill's Australia Day ceremony on Friday but local Indigenous elders felt excluded from the proceedings.
Broken Hill City Council in 2023 decided to stop paying Traditional Owners for performing the welcome to country - a cultural protocol missing from Friday morning's Australia Day program.
Wilyakali elder Aunty Sandra Clark said local Aboriginal people wanted to celebrate Australia Day but not on January 26.
The local council was constantly missing opportunities to draw from the wisdom and culture of Indigenous peoples, she said.
Northern Territory Senator Jacinta Price briefly attended Broken Hill's Australia Day ceremony. (Stuart Walmsley/AAP PHOTOS)
"Today, there was no communication or invitation for Traditional Owners to come and participate, as we have in the past," Aunty Sandra told AAP.
"They keep saying 'as Australians', but it's not inclusive of everyone. They keep overlooking Traditional Owners around protocols for the inclusion of us all.
"Where was the phone call, for council to say, 'here's your invitation?'"
Local resident Cory Paulson, a Worimi and Minjinbul man, said Indigenous people in Broken Hill and elsewhere wanted the opportunity to move forward as a nation.
The First Nation peoples' invitation was there, they were just waiting for it to be accepted, he said.
